Tool for crimping metal



Nov. 8, 1949 w. KROIER 2,487,713

TOOL FOR CRIMPING 'MBTAL Original Filed Feb. 13, 1943 21mm mm:

WW Mfgjsfi Patented Nov. 8, 1949 TOOL FOR, CRIMPIN G METAL Waldemar Kroier, Jacksonville, Fla.

Original application February 13, 1943, Serial No.

475,824. Divided and this application Septem-- her 8, 1944, Serial No. 553,254

1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to a tool for crimping to form an interlock between lapped sheets of sheet metal, and as here shown, is applied to the crimping and'interlocking of the ribs of lapped roofing sheets.

This is a divisional application, made under ofiicial requirement, of my application Serial No. 475,824, filed February 13, 1943, Patent No. 2,360,879, October 24, 1944.

Roofing sheets are usually formed with upstanding ribs Which, when the sheets are assembled, are nested together. To effectively hold such assembled sheets and nested ribs in place, it is customary to interlock the sheets or secure them by other fastening means. The tool constructed in accordance with the present invention is provided with simple and efficient means for crimping the nested ribs in such a manner as to prevent the ribs from buckling or bulging upwardly at the crown or top as the side indentations are made.

In the drawings herewith is illustrated one form of my invention and that the best now known to me.

In said drawings:

Figure l is a side view of the tool in position to engage and crimp a rib, the rib of the roofing sheets being shown in section.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, portions of the tool being shown in cross section, illustrating the action of the tool on the rib as it makes its side and crown indentations on the rib.

Figure 3 is a view in vertical cross-section substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings by numbers, like numbers designating like parts in the several views, l (Figs. 1 and 2) indicates roofing sheets having nesting ribs ll formed therein, these ribs having inclined side walls and a crown or upper wall, as is usual in this type of ribbed roofing sheet.

When assembled in overlapped position the ribs II will be nested together, as shown. In order to fasten and interlock the roofing sheets together, I indent the side walls at l2, so as to provide interlocking indentations which may extend the entire length of the ribs, or may be disposed at intervals along the rib, whichever may be thought desirable. The spaced interlocking indentations have been found to be satisfactory, and are preferable.

It has been found in practice that when the side walls of the ribs are indented, as shown, there is a tendency for the crown of the rib to bulge upwardly because of the outward pressure exerted by the indenting tool at the indenting points l2 on the side walls of the rib. In my present tool herein shown and described, this tendency to bulge or distort is overcome.

Using the tool shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which tool is made up of two pivoted members having operating handles, the jaws l3 of that tool are positioned on the rib so as to engage the side walls and indent and interlock them. When this side wall indenting operation is efl'ected, there is, of course, an outward thrust exerted which tends to bulge the crown I4, and unless there is resistance to this, a distorted rib results. To guard against this, I provide the roofing tool with a member having end pieces [5 with elongated pivot slots it which loosely engage the pivot pin or bolt 9 which connects the jaws of the tool, which end pieces are connected by a central bar I1, preferably ribbed, as shown. The bar I! has the function of centering the tool over the rib so that the crimping jaws 13 will be properly positioned and will approach and engage the side walls of the ribs correctly. Bar I! has a Wide bottom member substantially the width of the entire top wall of the nested ribs ll, so as to give full-width support against upward buckling of any portion of the ribs under crimping action. The movements of the jaws and the bar I! are so related and proportioned with respect to each other that proper crimping of the ribs results. The jaws of the roofing tool have the cam portions I 3, which, when the tool is brought to the position shown in Fig. 2, engage the upper side of the bar I! so as to hold it snugly against the central portion of the crown of the rib and prevent any upward bulging or distortion. As shown, each of the jaws I3 is provided with a cam surface 18 at one end thereof and the opposite end of the jaw is formed with a spaced looped bearing member (Fig. 3). Each cam I8 is arranged to be inserted between the bar I! and the adjacent surface of the other jaw so as to be brought into wedging engagement with the member I! when the jaws are moved toward each other during the crimping operation. Additionally, the rib on the bar I! will indent the crown of the rib, serving further to interlock and also to stifien the rib, so that a strongly interlocked and rigid rib results. This indenting of the ribs is accomplished without any breaking up of the metal or galvanized coatings. The resistance imposed on the crown of the nested ribs by the central bar l1, and particularly where such bar is provided with an indenting rib, has the effect, as shown in Figure 2,

of expanding the corners of the nested ribs into an interlocked relation so as to very efiectively lock the nested ribs together. The indentations may be spaced one from the other along the nested ribs, so that the necessity of indenting the entire length of the rib is done away with. Thus it will be seen that the end pieces I5 and the central bar I! constitute a substantially U- shaped member, and that the elongated slots I6 loosely receive the transverse pin or bolt 9 so that the latter constitutes both a mean for pivotally connecting the jaws 13 of the tool and a floating support for the U-shaped member that allows the bar I! to be moved downwardly into engagement with the crown or top of the ribs to indent the latter or away from the crown when the tool is to be removed, and which functions independently of the movement of the jaws.

The tool herein disclosed, insures a very effective interlock and one in which a symmetrical and effective rib crimp is formed.

Such changes from the specific disclosure here shown as are within the range of mechanical skill may be made without departing from my invention as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

A tool for crimping and interlocking nested ribs comprising a pair of coacting indenting jaws for engaging and crimping the side Walls of the ribs, a transverse pin pivotally connecting the jaw, a substantially U-shaped member having spaced parallel arms provided with vertically disposed elongated slots, said pin extending through said slots for loosely supporting said member so that 4 the latter is independently movable relative to the jaws to engage the crown of said ribs to resist buckling or bulging when the tool is moved into its crimping position, and each of said jaws having a cam surface disposed at the end thereof opposite to the cam surface on the other jaw and arranged when th jaws are moved to their crimping position to be moved between said memher and the other jaw so as to maintain said member in a position to back up the rib during the crimping operation.

WALDEMAR KROIER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 417,948 Sagendorph Dec. 24, 1889 1,784,213 Westphal Dec. 9, 1930 1,893,901 McGregor Jan. 10, 1933 1,920,413 McGary Aug. 1, 1933 1,943,452 Nolan Jan. 16, 1934 2,036,725 Schlicht Apr. 7, 1936 2,177,536 Porter Oct. 24, 1939 2,259,410 Werner Oct. 14, 1941 2,315,596 Childress Apr. 6, 1943 2,360,879 Kroier Oct. 24, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 128,792 Sweden Dec. 1, 1928 507,196 Germany 1930 

